Curtains, in particular shower curtains, are typically hung from a horizontal rod and secured thereto with plastic or metal rings which encircle the rod and extend through apertures in the curtain. The most common ring designs in use today are of the type illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,367,742, 4,308,637, and 1,034,630, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Such rings typically consist of a unitary piece of flexible plastic in a split-ring construction having opposed ends wherein one end forms a male joint member and the other a female joint member which are snapped together the close the ring. Shower curtain rings of that type have several disadvantages Most notably, these rings have proven to be difficult to mount on a rod due to the unitary construction and low flexibility of the plastic materials from which they are made. Further, for some, the joints prove too difficult to close and prone to breaking under the forces required to snap together the male and female members.
In view of the deficiencies of conventional shower curtain rings, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide curtain rings, and in particular, shower curtain rings, that are simple to use, do not require undue physical force to close, and are not prone to breaking during attachment to a rod and subsequent closure.